[UK]Always the bridegroom... and now the brideSex-swap bride Veronica Inglis shares a tender kiss with her new hubby yesterday - after getting hitched twice before as a MAN.Transsexual Veronica, 55 - who used to be an RAF serviceman called Ron - wed widower Alan Clibbery just over two years after having surgery to make her a woman.

[Slovakia]Neo-Nazis attack Slovakia’s first gay pride event, cancelling its paradeIt was supposed to be the first gay pride parade ever organised in Slovakia to support the empowerment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. But the parade planned for downtown Bratislava was cancelled after neo-Nazi groups attacked the march on May 22. The organizers explained that Slovakia’s police were unable to secure the safety of those attending.

[Lebanon]Transgenders in Lebanon: An OverviewIgnorance breeds misunderstandings and fear. Thus, people who fall under the “Transgender” category of the “LGBT” are not only marginalised and stigmatised in the general society, but within the LGB community as well. No Lebanese human rights or LGBT rights organisations have done any research on the Trans population in the country, so no substantial information is present, regardless of the prominence of Trans individuals. At Helem, we recently launched a Trans Focus Group (see below) which meets regularly, but it has not moved beyond this group so far. No substantial studies have thus resulted from this group yet either.This leaflet aims to shed light on the general situation of Trans individuals:

[Indonesia]Transvestites Banned from Taking Female Clients at Beauty Salons, FatwaOne hundred and twenty-five Islamic boarding schools or pesantren from Java and Madura island issued a fatwa banning transvestites from cutting and/or styling Muslim women's hair unless they are muhrim (related by blood or marriage).The fatwa was issued during a meeting at Al Falah Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East Java last week. According to them, transvestites are still male, therefore it is haram or forbidden for them to see and touch a woman who is not their spouse nor a blood relative.

[Canada] [Letters to the Editor]Alta. must restore sex-change fundingRe: "Phase-out of sex-change funding a 'reactionary move': researcher; Alberta Health and Wellness plans end of program by 2014-15," The Journal, April 28.Some of the comments made by John Tuckwell, spokesperson for Alberta Health and Wellness, are concerning.Tuckwell says that other provinces do not provide transgender surgical programs. This is incorrect. Ontario and Quebec both fund sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Ontario was forced to re-establish funding after it lost a class-action suit.British Columbia provides funding for male to female SRS, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba provide funding for SRS, with the restriction that candidates must be assessed by the gender clinic in Toronto. The Maritime provinces provide funding on a case-by case basis, as does the Northwest Territories.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]ENDA Delayed To Late June or Mid-JulyRepresentative Barney Frank said in MetroWeekly late yesterday that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act will be delayed until late June or mid-July.

[CA, USA]Jessica's Journey: Transgender SDSU StudentGraduation season is here. One SDSU student's academic career has been filled with change. Included in that change: Jessica's gender.Jessica Compton is graduating with honors. Compton told San Diego 6, "It's definitely amazing to receive so much attention." (Photo)

[CO, USA]Two Spirits, one communityBreak the silence.That's what organizers of a summit on Native American sexual assault say needs to happen for the cycle of abuse to end.To lead by example, Our Sister's Keeper, the domestic violence organization hosting the event, will take on one of the most uncomfortable topics in native cultures: violence against "two spirit" individuals, as those who are gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual have been described.(Photo: A poster for "Two Spirits," a film about the life and death of Cortez youth Fred Martinez.)

[FL, USA]Prom queen in a dress? Not this guy this nightAfter coming out of the closet this, his senior year at Flanagan High, Omar Bonilla decided to take it a step further: run for prom queen.He almost won -- Bonilla was among the top three vote-getters -- but in the past few days, it all unraveled.

[IL, USA]Thirteen LGBT Protesters Arrested Outside Sen. Durbin's OfficeExcerpt: If passed, ENDA would protect workers from discrimination and harassment based on their sexual orientation and gender identity at the federal level. While Illinois currently prohibits such discrimination, it is currently legal in 29 states to fire an employee for being gay, 38 if you're transgender.

[MA, USA]Demonstrators urge passage of transgender rights legislationAfter being hired for a job in Foxborough last year, Logan Ferraro, a 19-year-old transgendered man, received a call from his new boss.On his application, he stated his gender as the one he identifies with: male. However, this didn’t match his Social Security data, which indicated he was female.His boss had questions. After Ferraro explained his status, his boss assured him it would not be a problem.The next contact Ferraro had with the boss, he said, was a letter with information on how to file for unemployment.(Photo: Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff - About 100 people attended a transgender rights rally in front of the State House. The group gained backers while marching.)Taking a stand for ENDA in Boston

[NY, USA]Transgender issue alters hiring policyAmerican Eagle Outfitters, that bastion of collegiate clothes suitable for going to class and hanging out at football games, has become an unlikely symbol in the battle for equal treatment of transgender job applicants.

[TX, USA]Lufkin cross dresser feels rights violatedAn admitted cross dresser and transsexual feels her rights were violated when she was taken off her community service work at the Angelina County Courthouse, because she was dressed like a female.Rufus Matts, who prefers to be referred to as "she," thinks it's because of her sexuality. (Photo)

[TX, USA]Transgender teen in East Texas town fighting to dress like a girlSixteen-year-old Alexis Lusk says she’s been cross-dressing more subtly for about three years.But one day a few weeks ago Alexis, a transgender female, took it a step further — donning a bra, a women’s blouse and ballet flats to accompany her flare jeans.

[VA, USA]He's now a she and wants to serve the VFW as a womanAfter Larry Bush decided to come out as Laura, she wanted to tell the members of her Veterans of Foreign Wars post.The retired 24-year Navy veteran had worked alongside members of General MacArthur Memorial Post 392 since last year: making Sunday breakfasts, passing out gift bags at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and serving as its chaplain.

[Uruguay]Job Training Moves "Trans" Off Streets to Better FutureRuler in hand, Fabiana draws lines with a pencil on orange cardboard, occasionally pushing her curly hair away from her eyes. Next to her, Fernanda fashions a colourful cardboard box, a prototype for what their cooperative will ultimately produce in large quantities.